| HP MediaSmart EX495 |
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HP first came out with their MediaSmart server line of computer running Microsoft Windows Home Server a few years ago and since then, they have been slowly upgrading and adding new features every few months and releasing a new model. The latest model, the HP MediaSmart EX495, offer speed boosts due to upgraded hardware and improved networking support. HP also altered the user-interface of the administration area to make things more easily accessed by the user. The HP MediaSmart EX495 looks exactly like the previous MediaSmart home server models with the black mini-tower with a "server-like" feel to it because of the grill case. On the front at the bottom are the LED status lights and a lone USB port that still exists and the back is home to a few inputs, which remain unchanged as well. You get an eSATA port, three USB ports, and an Ethernet networking port. As with before, the MediaSmart home servers are not Wi-Fi compatible for speed and reliability reasons, so they must be connected to your home network via Ethernet cable (CAT 5/5e or CAT 6). On the inside, however, the MediaSmart EX495 has been substantially upgraded over past models. HP has moved away from the older and slower Intel Celeron processors and now includes a dual-core Intel Pentium E5200 (64-bit, 2.5GHz). They also come with 2GB DDR2 RAM and a 1.5TB SATA 7200RPM hard drive for virtually endless storage. There are also three available drive bays for added storage if you need it, with each drive bay using tool-free enclosures. In total, the device measures 5.5" x 9.8" x 9.2", which is perfect for putting in a well-ventilated closet or under a desk. Booting up the EX495 for the first time and setting it up was extremely easy and just like previous models. Just like before, it does not have video out or keyboard/mouse ports, which means it runs as a "headless" computer never requiring you to directly interact with it. Everything from setup to configuration to use is done through your another computer connected to the same home network (either by Ethernet or wireless). During setup, you can choose how and when you want to backup other computers on the home network and what files, if any, to exclude from their backups. Once setup, the HP management software for the HomeServer is very easy to use and allows you to customize many aspects of the device and access many of its features all from one interface. One of the more useful features is remote access, which lets you connect to your home server from any where in the world through the Internet and have access to your files. First you have to setup the remote access settings and acquire a domain name to use. HP offers you to two choices, a one-year free "yourname.hphome.com" domain or a lifetime free Windows Live domain name "yourname.homeserver.com". We recommend the latter since it will always be free and is Microsoft-run. While this is a very handy feature to have, it can be very difficult to setup if you don't have a popular router or any one of several other factors. If you have a popular and supported router, it will auto configure your router's port forwarding features via uPnP, but if your router doesn't support uPnP, you will have to follow Microsoft's directions on how to port forward the necessary ports to your HomeServer. HP has included a new video converter to the HomeServer EX495, which allows you to convert non-protected video and audio (including non-protected DVDs in connected computers) into other media formats right from the HomeServer. The converter supports MP3, MOV, FLV, DIVX, and a few others. Besides that, many of the features still remain the same and they all work pretty well, with only the occasional hiccup which is easily remedied by rebooting the HomeServer. The hardware bump that HP gave this model is definitely well-worth the money and the upgrade if you currently have one of the older HP HomeServers or are looking for an easy way to backup your home computers and provide network accessible file storage for your network. To learn more about Microsoft Windows Home Server, the software that powers the HP HomeServer Ex495, read our review.
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